Defence
Chhattisgarh's Kanger Valley was declared a national park in:
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Answer: Option D — 1982
Detailed Solution
The Kanger Valley (Kanger Ghati) National Park, in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, was declared a national park in 1982.
About Kanger Valley National Park:
- It is located near Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district.
- It covers about 200 square kilometres.
- It takes its name from the Kanger river, which flows through it.
- It is covered with dense mixed tropical deciduous forests of sal, teak and bamboo.
It is famous for its limestone caves with stalactites and stalagmites:
- Kotumsar Cave: one of the longest natural caves in India, famous for its blind fish.
- Kailash Cave and Dandak Cave.
- The Tirathgarh Falls, on the Kanger river, are a popular waterfall in the park.
- Animals found here include tigers, leopards, sloth bears, flying squirrels, hyenas, sambar and many reptiles.
It is the main habitat of the "Bastar hill myna", a bird that can imitate human speech. It is the state bird of Chhattisgarh.
The park is home to tribal communities such as the Dhurwa, Gond and Muria.
About Bastar:
- It is a large tribal region in southern Chhattisgarh.
- It is famous for the "Bastar Dussehra", a 75-day festival, the longest Dussehra in the world, which honours the local goddess Danteshwari rather than Lord Rama.
- It is known for its "Dhokra" metal craft (lost-wax casting) and terracotta art.
- The Chitrakote Falls on the Indravati river, called the "Niagara of India", is in Bastar.
Other protected areas of Chhattisgarh:
- Indravati National Park (tiger reserve), Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay) National Park, Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve and Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla became Chhattisgarh's fourth tiger reserve in 2024.
State symbols of Chhattisgarh:
- State animal: Wild buffalo (wild water buffalo).
- State bird: Bastar hill myna.
- State tree: Sal.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1972 is the year of the Wild Life (Protection) Act.
- ✗1995 is not the year Kanger Valley became a national park.
- ✗2005 is not related.
Quick tip
Remember: Kanger Valley National Park = Bastar, Chhattisgarh (national park 1982; Kotumsar Cave; Tirathgarh Falls; Bastar hill myna, the state bird); Chitrakote Falls = "Niagara of India".
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Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers biodiversity and its conservation: biodiversity hotspots, endangered and endemic species, the IUCN Red List, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, India's national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves, and wildlife conservation projects. Questions commonly ask in which state a national park is located and which animal it is known for (Kaziranga in Assam for the one-horned rhinoceros, and Gir in Gujarat for the Asiatic lion), when Project Tiger began (1973), and which regions of India are biodiversity hotspots. The number of protected areas changes as new ones are declared, so check the latest lists. Practise the biodiversity and conservation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.